1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital content broadcast systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods, systems, and computer program products for identifying potentially fraudulent digital content receivers.
2. Background and Related Art
One problem that subscription-based broadcast systems often face is theft of service. Theft of service occurs when someone is able to receive the benefits reserved for subscribers, without paying the associated cost. Illicit connections to cable systems and cloned receivers for satellite systems are examples of theft of service. Theft of service operates principally to the detriment of the service provider in the form of lost subscription revenue. A related problem, theft of content involves unauthorized use of content, independent of whether or not someone is a subscriber. Redistributing content to unauthorized consumers is an example of theft of content. Theft of content deprives the content owner of royalties or licensing revenue.
Theft of service is becoming increasingly significant with the improved quality of digital broadcasts. Furthermore, the advent of environments such as home media servers and networks with the ability to store and redistribute content to local nodes within the network amplify the problems associated with theft of service because, among other things, digital content is less susceptible to losses in quality than analog content. When digital content may be obtained, these and other advantages make theft of service an attractive prize.
Therefore, it is important to protect against theft of service. However, there is a practical economic limit to the resources that may be devoted to preventing theft of service. At some point, preventing theft of service is no longer economically viable because the added expense of the extra protection does not offer sufficient monetary return to justify its implementation. Thus, effective security measures that have low implementation costs are highly desirable.